Bosphorous Flowers Tea

 Don't you just love mystery tea gifts? A few weeks ago I was gifted a bag simply labeled 'Bosphorus Flowers Tea'. This tea was purchased in Istanbul at the Istanbul Spice Market. The tea is named after the Bosphorus, which is a strait found in Istanbul. Intrigued yet? I certainly was.

note the little tea thieving hand

I did a good bit of searching and didn't learn too much about the flowers specifically from the Bosphorus area. I also couldn't find any other floral teas being sold with the same name. I've had Turkish tea before which is a very strong black tea brew, but I haven't had a flowery Turkish tea. There are flowers native to Turkey, but I wasn't sure if any of them were actually used to make tea. So I figured I'd just stop geeking out about it, taste the tea enjoy the flavors.

little sneaky fingers made it into the shot

The dry mixture was sweet, floral, and tangy. Reminded me of a hibiscus blend I've tried before. The pretty red-hued tea tasted of hibiscus, rose, vanilla and tart berry (similar to cranberry). It was a little sweet and very tart and astringent. A little bit goes a long way. I couldn't tell if there were any actual tea leaves in the mix, since other flavors were so strong. This isn't a tea I'd usually drink, but I figured it would be nice iced. So, I iced up a batch and it was quite juicy and refreshing. With a little bit of honey it proved to be a nice summer drink. I had my two little ones watching as I brewed this, so naturally I let them taste.

the little tea thief is not subtle with his intentions

My kids enjoyed the tea both iced and hot after I added the touch of honey. The little hand you see reaching for tea in the photos is my eager 4 year old son. He just couldn't wait to steal a sip.

This is a nice summertime icy sip. I love trying teas from all over the world and I'm happy to have had this Bosphorus tea experience! Have you ever tried a similar tea before?